Oracle is nearing a deal to buy the Micros Systems for more than $ 5 billion. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that CEO Larry Ellison wants to combat slowing growth with the addition of software for hotels and restaurants.
Oracle and Micros are in exclusive negotiations, although the two sides might still fail to reach an agreement, said unidentified sources.
Ellison is looking for acquisitions to fuel the expansion after 10 quarters with sales growth slow.
The purchase of Micros, if completed, will be the largest in Oracle since the purchase of Sun Microsystems, for $ 5.7 billion, announced in 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The Oracle was late to the market for cloud-based software on the internet and now is racing to remake itself as a supplier of equipment and software to support change from its clients for web-based computing.
The Micros sells software and services for hotels, restaurants and retailers. Its shares rose 15 percent, to $ 66,33 closing in New York and earlier climbed to 22 percent, the biggest gain since September 1996.
Oracle's shares rose less than 1 percent, to $ 42,32.
Micros's acquisition by Oracle came close to happening about six years ago, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The President of Micros, Tom Giannopoulos, who was CEO at the time, flew from Maryland to California to sign an agreement, but saw the transaction fall at the last minute, the source said of Bloomberg.
Oracle's quarterly results will be presented on Thursday. In the previous quarter, revenue from license and signature cloud fell short of analysts ' estimates.
The company spent $ 50 billion to acquire about 100 companies in the last decade.